Singing our vows: Psalm 61

The Baylor Bears are playing this Saturday in the Big 12 Championship game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. As a recent Baylor graduate with several OSU friends, I’ll be paying attention. 

Neal Jeffrey is a pastor in the Dallas area and was the Baylor quarterback in the early ’70s. He also had a stutter. It was so bad that at one point his coach got him to sing the plays in the huddle rather than call them!

I want to sing my way through the commitments I’ve made. 

The second fruit of the Spirit is joy (Galatians 5:22). Joy is not something we “work up” by our own effort of being good Christians or great servants. It’s a gift we receive, something we unwrap from God’s generous grace and then learn to wear, work with, and live in. I wish it were more intuitive, but like many things in the Christian life, it’s an adventure of discovery.

David’s adventure with God included journeys in joy too. They started in desperation. So many things start that way. He cried out to God “from the ends of the earth” (Psalm 61:2). From nowhere and from anywhere, we can do the same. He wanted God to be his rock of strength, his refuge of security, and his tower of confidence. So do I. 

How often do we want to hide in “the shadow of God’s wings” (v. 4)?

Like you, David committed himself to the things of God and his kingdom. He didn’t live his vows perfectly, but he made them. He sought to receive and extend the heritage or legacy of faith that was put in front of him. 

I think you want to do the same. So we should do what David did: ask for God to protect and extend our lives and ministry. Ask God daily to send his reliable love and truth to guard and guide us (v. 7).

What can we expect as the outcome? 

That we will sing our way down the road of fulfilling the vows we are inspired to make to him.

“Then I will sing praises to your name forever

    as I fulfill my vows each day.”

—Psalm 61:8 NLT

Several years ago, I was flipping channels at 10:45 p.m. I stopped for a second on the Conan O’Brien show. He was interviewing comedian Louis C. K. (FYI: This is not an endorsement of either.) 

C. K. was at that moment commenting on his travels and the world as he saw it. As he spoke about the wonder of air travel, he observed, “Everything is amazing and nobody’s happy.” 

I don’t want that to ever be me or you. 

Stop now and ask the Spirit to help you live the joy Jesus died to provide.